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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — low music
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — soda
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — a permit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com